For Sale: A house, or at least a piece of one

Can you be a little insane, or is it all or none? Selling a house can be stressful, but the ups and downs of house showings, is at best a roller coaster of emotions.

Advice I have stooped to taking from family and friends: Baking chocolate chip cookies moments before said buyers enter my home. Burning vanilla candles to give the buyers that “I am home” feeling. Cinnamon sticks and cloves are supposed to bring a sense of security, so I tried that as well. If my house doesn’t sell, perhaps I will open a bakery. In any case, all of this effort is making me hungry.

I mentioned to my daughter how we sold our last house and she was mystified. We buried a St. Joseph Statue in our front yard after more than a year on the market. It worked. At least we had an offer sometime after St. Joe was buried. My daughter wondered if he was still buried, and if I had told the new owners about this interesting item not on the listing sheet.

After many successful yard sales on this property, maybe I will reconsider my strategy. Perhaps a “fire sale” sign on the front lawn will bring in the bargain hunters and sell my house a piece at a time. You know a window here, a door there, like Fenway’s Green Monster.

I think buying a house is like looking for a special someone on Match.com. Okay, he’s the right height, likes long walks on the beach, adores black cats, blah, blah, blah. But, there has to be the right chemistry on meeting. The same applies to the perspective home buyer. Perhaps it’s not exactly the house he/she wants, but if the chemistry is right, it’s a done deal. Somebody is going to fall in love with your house. . .trust me.

Real estate brokers are control freaks. They think they know best how to sell YOUR house. I disagree…stop leaving when they have a showing. If you are present in YOUR house it will sell – even if you don’t talk to the prospective buyer during the showing. Sit in your beautiful yard or on the porch with a cup of coffee and one of those yummy cookies you just baked!! Try it – what do have to lose?

Sally your comments are too funny!!! I am going to look up your house on the internet and then I’ll make a comment. In the meantime ask your realtor if she is planning a vacation, if not tell her to, if she is, that is when you will get an offer! just when she/he is away.

Sally – you are hysterical! Now have you taken the advice from HGTV “stagers”? Basically you need to remove all of your personal effects, repaint, redecorate, buy all new furniture and pretend you don’t live there! Of course, in addition to the cookies, candles, etc. Crazy world we live in! Hope St. Joe works his magic for you!